Sharon Valentine

"There is a real movement here to diversify out of the traditional methods of farming," says Sharon Valentine, chairman of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce agribusiness committee."There are new methods out there, and our farmers are finding them."

Aquaculture, one of agriculture's fastest growing sectors, includes catfish, trout, fresh water oysters and shrimp.While not yet contributing significantly to the economy of Cumberland County, it is well on its way to becoming an established agribusiness.And it's just one of several new trends expected to expand.Others include growing bedding plants, hay for horses, Christmas trees, herbs and organic vegetables.
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"There's also a great potential here for agri-tourism," Valentine says."We can have a farm where school children or groups can visit and make homemade ice cream, or another option is operating a bed-and-breakfast on a farm.Our committee is looking into all of these possibilities."

Agriculture contributes more than $625 billion each year to the U.S. economy, making up 20 percent of the gross national product.Cumberland County's total for field crop sales during 1999 was $15.3 million, led by tobacco, with 2,139 acres and $8.1 million in sales.
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Valentine says many cattle farmers are switching away from or adding to their operations because of the growing ethnic diversity in the United States.

"There's a trend toward innovative and new products; for example, meat goats," she says."They are the fastest growing livestock in the United States and are becoming a widely eaten meat."

Total livestock sales in the county were $11.1 million in 1999, and total poultry sales were $10.7 million.Hogs are another big business in Cumberland County, which ranks fifteenth out of North Carolina's 100 swine-producing counties, bringing in a total of $9.7 million in 1999.

The committee is exploring the expansion of contract farming, in which local farmers agree to provide certain links in the agribusiness chain.
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"The farmers don't grow their own poultry from egg to market, but instead they are grown in volume for integrators who handle everything from the breeding farms to distribution," Valentine says."We're seeing less of the independent, family-owned farm and more of the contract arrangement."

Biotechnology also is influencing some local farmers, Valentine said.Soybeans are being grown for their natural Vitamin E, and many byproducts of crops are used for pharmaceuticals.

"These plants have always been there.We're just discovering health approaches and other uses for crops we have always had," Valentine says."Sweet potatoes are being grown for the manufacture of ethanol as well as for eating.It's a renewable fuel, and that's starting to be pretty important these days.We won't have a gasoline crisis if we can grow it every year."